Firearm with time delay firing means



June 17, 1952 W. HAMMAR FIREARM WITH TIME DELAY FIRING MEANS 2 SHEETS-SHEET Filed Nov. 8, 1948 Susi-ai w. Hrnma-r" June 17, 1952 G. w. HAMMAR FIREARM WITH TIME DELAY FIRING MEANS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1948 Patented June 17, 1952- FIREARM WITH TIIWE DELAY FIRING MEANS Gustaf W. Hammar, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of War Application November 8, 1948, Serial No. 58,921

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a firearm, more particularly to a firearm for use in delayed firing for simulating the fire of rifles or machine guns.

For tactical reasons it is sometimes desirable to mislead the enemy into believing that large forces of men are concentrated in various areas in order that a surprise attack may be instituted at a different point. Such a diversion has been accomplished by a few men firing a large number of firearms as rapidly as possible and then upon completion of the diversion, such men have attempted to withdraw to a more secure position. Unfortunately in a maneuver of this type considerable quantities of firearms have to be abandoned and the loss of men may be quite high.

Obviously to overcome such loss in men and equipment a firing device which can be mounted prior to such a diversionary maneuver and which can be set to fire at a predetermined time will be required. Such a device will of course be expendable and consequently must be exceedingly cheap to produce and likewise be light and easily attached to a tree or other support.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a firearm for use in simulating the fire of firearms operated by troops.

Another object of this invention is to provide a firing device arranged to be fired by a time delay element whereby such firing device may be set to go oif after a selected time interval as governed by such delay element.

Another object of this invention is to provide a firing device for simulating the fire of troops which can be conveniently secured to any suitable support at hand.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the firing device.

Fig. 2 is a left end view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side view of an alternate form of the invention.

Fig. 'I is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 6.

In Figs. 1 and 3 there is shown in assembled relation the firing device of this invention. Such device comprises mainly a barrel [0, a breech plug II and a barrel supporting member l2. Barrel I0 is provided with an axial bore l3 shown in Fig. 3 and a chamber M in the breech end thereof to accommodate a cartridge i5 insertable therein. The cartridge preferably utilized with this device is known as the U. S. carbine cal. .30 M1 cartridge. It will be appreciated however that this device can be readily proportioned to utilize any ammunition. The breech end of barrel to is counterbored and threaded as shown at I6 in which is screwed the breech plug Ii.

Breech plug it is provided with an exteriorly threaded end I! which cooperates with threaded counterbore 16 whereby such breech plug is secured to barrel Ill. The other end of breech plug l I is of greatly reduced diameter as shown at l8. An axial hole I!) is provided in plug H and the reduced diameter end I8 is provided with a counterbore 2|] coaxial with hole l9. A headed firing pin 2| is inserted in hole l9 and the head of such pin is engageable with the bottom of counterbore 20 when the firing pin projects out of hole 19. An annular groove 22 is provided about the periphery of reduced diameter end ill on breech plug II for a purpose to be later described.

Barrel supporting member I2 is preferably made from sheet steel blanked out and then bent to the form shown in Fig. 1. Such barrel supporting member is provided with a handle portion 23 and such handle portion is of inverted U-shape as shown in Fig. 4. Barrel supporting member [2 partially surrounds barrel l0 and may be secured to such barrel by welding or by screws, as desired. A pair of depending opposed lugs 24 are provided on barrel supporting member l2 near the breech end of barrel i0. Forwardly of lugs 24 on the underside of support member 12 there are provided a plurality of triangularly shaped teeth 25.

A movable jaw 26 provided with a handle portion 2'! is pivotally secured to lugs 24 by a pin 28. Movable jaw 26 is of the same construction as barrel supporting member I2 and is of generally U-shape cross-section as shown in Fig. 2. Handle portion 21 is disposed at an obtuse angle to the jaw portion whereby the movable jaw 26 may be pivoted away from teeth 25 of barrel supporting member l2. Corresponding teeth 29 are provided on movable jaw 26 which are opposed to teeth 25. A torsion spring 30 surrounds pin 28 and is engageable with jaw 26 in such fashion as to bias the jaw 26 to the closed position shown in Fig. 2.

In Figs. 6 and 7 there is illustrated a firing device simiiar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 3 but of an integral depending lug 36 provided on barrel 3! by rivets 31. Barrel supporting member has a forwardly projecting jaw portion 38 pro-i.

A'handle vided with a plurality of saw teeth 33. portion 40 is provided on barrel supporting member 35 obliquely disposed to the axis. of barrel 3|. A movable jaw 4| having an integral handle portion 42 disposed at approximately a right angle to jaw 41 is pivotally mounted to barrel supportingmerhber 35 by a pin 43- transversely disposed through each of such members. Correspending teeth 35 are provided on movable jaw M which are opposed to teeth 39. A spring ldi surrounds. pin 23 and a leg 45 of such spring bears against handle 42. while another leg st of spring 44 bears against handle 43. Thus spring M biases handles 42 and 40 apart thereby tending to close jaws M and 38 by means or such handles. that the firing device may be conveniently mountedon a suitable support,

A device known as a time'pencil 31 is axially mounted on the reduced diameter portion 18 of breech plug H of the device shown in Fig. 3. Such'time pencil comprises a tube 48 which is placed over reduced diameter portion 18 of plug 1 l and crimped into annular groove 22. A striker 69 is slidably mounted within tube 53. Such striker is provided with spaced bearing portions 56 and 5! which slidably engage the inner Wall of tube 48. A spring 53 surrounds striker 491 and one end thereof is's'eoured to tube 48 by a rivet 54. The other endof spring 513' is secured to hearing member Si by a rivet '55. A' transverse pin 55 is secured near the right end of time pencil H as shown in 3 and an axially disposed wire 5? is secured to pin. 56 by winding a turn or two thereabouts' or such. spring may" be secured in some other fashion; The other end of wire 5? is securedtohearing member 5! preferably by welding. Wire 51 secures: striker 43 in a cocked position within tube- 48, spring 53 being in tension so that when. wire .51 is fractured or parted'as will be presently described, spring 53 will bias striker 49 forwardly.

A capsule 58 is cemented or otherwise secured in the end of time pencil 41 as shown in Fig.3. Such capsule contains an acid which will readily attack the metal of which wire 51 is constructed. Capsule 58 may be of metal, glass, or other readily punctured or fractured material.- Some suitable absorbent material, as indicated at 5-3, surrounds wire 51 in order to absorb the acid flowing out of capsule 58 so that such acid inay' be into intimate contact with wire 51-. Time pencil 41 is also utilized with the device shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and further description thereof is not deemed necessary.

Cartridge I5 is readily inserted into chamber 14 of barrel I0 by simply unscrewing breechv plug. ll thus providing access to chamber l4- Breech plug H is then secured within: threaded counterbore I6 whereupon the device is ready to be fired.

Barrel l0 may be mounted on a sapling or other Jaws 33 and 4| are readily, opened so 4 suitable support by opening movable jaw 26 by simply grasping handles 23 and 21 and forcing such together, whereupon the handle is released so that teeth 25 and 29 will securely grab the sapling or other support.

Cartridge 34 is inserted in barrel 3! of the device shown'in Figs. 6 and 7 in a similar manner as that above described and such device may be mounted on a sapling or other suitable support by simply opening jaws 38 and M as described above. v

The time of firing or discharge of the device is governed entirely by the time pencil so that by proper selection of the time pencil any desired delay in the discharge of the cartridge may be effected within the limits of the time pencil. With the device mounted on a tree or other suitable support, the time pencil is activated by rupturing or breaking capsule 53 whereupon the acid therein will flow forwardly to be absorbed by the absorbent material 59 whereupon the acid willbe directed into intimate contact with wire 51 and will thus react with the metal to slowly dissolve such metal. When wire 5"! has been weakened to the point where the bias of spring 53 is sufficient to separate wire 5?, such spring will bias striker 49 forwardly to strike firing pin 3!. a smart blow whereupon discharge of the cartridge 15 is effected. Obviously by varying the diameter of wire 57' greater or shorter periods of delay in firing. the cartridge may be conveniently obtained. The device shownin Figs. 5 and 7 with time pencil 41' secured thereto functions in an identical manner.

From the foregoing description it is readily apparent that there is here provided a simple devicefor simulating the fire of troops with a device which is simple, inexpensive and positive operation. Great numbers of such devices may be readily mounted in any given area and then set to fire intermittently by breaking the time pencil. A comparatively small number of men can quickly place such devices and then can rapidly andund'etected leave the scene. It is further pointed out that the device being relatively inexpensive to manufacture is expendable.

I claim:

l. A firearm comprising a support, a barrel secured to said support, abreech plug remov ably secured to said barrel, afiring pin in saidbreech plug, a tube mounted on said plug and communicating with said firing pin, a springbiased striker mounted in said tube for cooperae' tion with said firing pin movable between a cooked position and a fired position, a severable member within said tube for holding" said striker in the cooked position, and means in said tube for severing said member aftera predetermined variable time interval thereby releasing isai'd striker from the cocked position.

2. In a'fi'rearm having a support and a barrel secured thereto, thecombination of, a breech plug removably secured to said barrel, a tube mounted on said plug, firing means mounted in said tube for movement between a cooked position and a fired position, a time pencil within said tube for releasably retaining said firing means in a cooked; position, and means in said tube for releasing said firing means from said pencil after a predetermined variable time iiiterval. I

3. In a firearm having a support and a; bar-v rel secured thereto, the combination of. a breech plug removably secured to said barrel, a firing pininsaid breech plug, atube mounted on said plug and communicating with said firing pin, a spring-biased striker mounted in said tube for cooperation with said firing pin movable between a cooked position and a fired position, a time pencil within said tube for releasably retaining said striker in the cooked position, and a frangi- "ble capsule having an acid eating constituent therein for releasing said pencil from said striker by erosion when said capsule is broken after a predetermined variable time interval.

4. In a firearm having a barrel and a rearwardly extending housing, the combination of, a U-shaped handle partially surrounding the housing and being provided with forwardly extending vertical arms that are fixedly secured to either side of the barrel, each of said arms having a plurality of downwardly depending teeth longitudinally disposed in relation to the axis of the barrel, each of said arms being provided with a depending lug rearwardly of said teeth to receive a transverse pin, and a spring-biased U- GUSTAF W. HAMMAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,571 Sedgley Jan. 21, 1930 2,314,678 Zint Mar. 23, 1943 2,398,266 Whitesell, Jr. Apr. 9,1946 2,406,980 Young Sept. 3, 1946 2,454,790 Garrett Nov. 30, 1948 2,459,158 Garand Jan. 18, 1949 

